1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to double-barrel shotguns of the "side-by-side" and "over-under" varieties, and more particularly, to a trigger mechanism for such shotguns which assures that each barrel is fired upon successive actuation of the finger pull of the trigger mechanism.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Double-barrel firearms, such as shotguns which use but a single trigger to fire both barrels have been manufactured for a number of years. Usually, two hammers are provided and a sear cooperates with each of the hammers, which when rotated will release its associated hammer to strike a firing pin. A manually adjustable selector is provided so that selection can be made between the firing of one barrel or the other of the double-barrelled weapon or firearm by the use of a single trigger. The mechanism of the selector precludes the unselected barrel from being prematurely fired by precluding contact of the trigger with the sear mechanism associated with the hammer for firing the barrel, whioh upon rotation, would normally free the hammer associated with the unfired barrel for counterclockwise rotation against a firing pin. The unselected barrel is usually fired upon a successive pull of the trigger mechanism by providing a recoil and counter-recoil responsive member such as an inertia block pivotably mounted on the trigger, which upon firing of the first barrel, will move upon recoil relative to a holding member to be released from engagement therewith, and then upon counter-recoil into rotational engagement with the sear mechanism associated with the hammer for firing each barrel. Upon subsequent pull of the single trigger mechanism, the second barrel is fired upon rotation of its associated sear mechanism which results in release of the second hammer (the first hammer already having been fired). Examples of such trigger mechanisms are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,203 issued on Nov. 3, 1970 to Weatherby et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,243, issued Jan. 14, 1969 to Browning; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,488 to Beretta issued June 25, 1968.
As indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,488 the manual barrel selector is primarily used to overcome misfiring of the first or selected barrel by moving the selector to its second position into rotational contact with the sear associated with the second hammer, whereupon the firing procedure is repeated and the recoil and counter-recoil responsive member relied upon to produce firing of the second barrel upon successive pulls of the trigger. However, in skeet shooting and other related sports, where time to fire is critical by being limited, such manual reselection and aiming of the weapon, is insufficient to overcome the effects of misfiring of the weapon.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for the inertia block or recoil and counter-recoil responsive member not to be released from the holding member upon recoil and counter-recoil of the weapon thereby resulting is misfiring of the weapon upon a second pull of the trigger, because the inertia block is not allowed to engage the sear mechanism associated with the second hammer.
Alternatively, elimination of the holding means for the inertia block will result in "doubling", that is, the simultaneous firing of each barrel upon a single pull of the trigger mechanism, because the inertia block will simultaneously engage each sear mechanism prior to the first trigger pull.
This invention provides a means for eliminating such problems and assures successive firing of the individual barrels of a double-barrel shotgun upon successive pulls of a single trigger.